On electromagnetic wave momentum transfer to an inhomogeneous plasma

2014 Electromagnetic plane wave momentum transfer to an inhomogeneous plasma slab has been evaluated for an arbitrary reflecting and absorbing plasma density profile based on Euler’s equation of motion but including a ponderomotive term. In the limit where the plasma density follows a step function, the Fresnel formulae for the coefficient of reflectivity have been obtained for both normal and oblique incidence (sand p-polarization). For a smooth profile with a maximum density higher than the relevant critical density, the ponderomotive force induced pressure on the overdense plasma cannot be higher than 2 w0 (w0 is the electromagnetic energy density corresponding to the incident wave in a vacuum), and is independent of the wave swelling near the critical density. Also, for the case of oblique incidence, the analogues of the Abraham and Minkowski momenta have been calculated. J. Physique 42 (1981) 1413-1419 OCTOBRE 1981, PAGE Classification Physics Abstracts 52.35H 52.40D